Category: Report

Start Today for a Successful Fall Newsletter

Steven Screen  |  Report
Stacked and Bundled Newspapers

Want to make your fall newsletter easier than ever?

Start today. And here’s how getting started now will make your life easier and help you raise more money . . .

Pick what issue or program your newsletter will focus on.

In our experience, newsletters that focus on one program or activity do better than newsletters that feature stories about multiple different things.

Find three stories with clear “before’s” and clear “after’s.”

Stories can be hard to find, so start looking now. If you get stories through the people who work directly with your beneficiaries, ask those folks for stories today. Take it from someone who’s probably done this a hundred times: they like this part of their job MUCH better if you ask them early, are specific about what you want, and give them plenty of time with a clear deadline.

Write the stories now…

…even though you don’t need them for a couple of months.

I guarantee you that if you write them now, then come back to them in a month or two, you’ll see ways to improve each story. This is especially true for headlines and picture captions.

By the way, be sure to include the donor in each story. So use the word “you” at least once in every single story – and try to get it into every headline.

Knowing which stories you’re going to tell gives you lots of time to get great photos of each person. Get a close up photo of each story subject – by themselves, not in a group. The guideline I was always taught; “be close enough to see their eyes and teeth.”

Have the last story of your newsletter be a request to send in a gift today.

Make sure the reader knows that their gift will help people in the same way that they saw the people in the stories being helped.

Finally, design your newsletter to be sent in an envelope, not as a self mailer.

We’ve done multiple tests and self-mailers raise less money — we don’t even do them any more. So you’ll need an envelope, your newsletter, a reply card, and a reply envelope. Doing it this way will cost you more money, but you’ll raise more than enough additional money to cover the extra costs — and then some!

Fundraising’s “Virtuous Circle”

Steven Screen  |  Ask, Repeat, Report, Thank
the fundraising "virtuous circle": Ask, Thank, Report, Repeat

I had the privilege of teaching at the South Sound AFP chapter a few nights ago. The group was made up of young professionals, several of whom had been fundraising for less than 6 months.

We walked through fundraising’s Virtuous Circle. A “virtuous circle” is a chain of events that reinforces itself through a feedback loop. Here’s what it looks like in fundraising:

  1. Asking donors to solve a problem with their gift,
  2. Thanking them promptly and emotionally,
  3. Reporting back to them on how their gift made a difference.

Doing those three things well, one at a time, and in the correct order causes donors to trust your organization. This makes it more likely they’ll give to your next appeal, and stay donors for years and years.

I asked the group how many of their organizations Reported back to donors. **Only one person raised their hand.** Only one organization in the whole room was completing the circle.

I’ll do a longer post about fundraising’s virtuous circle later, but for now let’s focus on the incredible opportunity this presents for you and your organization. If your donor is giving to (on average) 7 to 10 different charities – but your organization is the only one does a great job showing her what her gifts have done, what do you think will happen? Here’s the short list:

  • Your donors will stick with you for longer
  • Your newsletters will raise money
  • Your response rates to appeals will increase
  • Even event income goes up

I think every fundraiser needs to learn (or be reminded of) this fundamental part of fundraising. Letting your donors’ know what their gifts have done is both honoring and a huge opportunity to raise more money to do more good.

Create a Donor-Centered Newsletter That Raises Money!

Jim Shapiro  |  Ask, Report
Repeat

Over the past few weeks we have blogged about how to Report back to your donors using donor-centered newsletters.

As you set out to do the important job of Reporting, here’s a short list of the most powerful tips to make your next newsletter a blockbuster:

  • It’s not about you!  Try to connect your donor directly with the beneficiary and limit (or preferably eliminate entirely) any organizational or institutional news.
  • Make it easy to scan and still get the message. Most donors have limited time to engage with your material. If they open your mailings, most are just scanning your newsletter for the highlights.  Really make sure your main message is in your headlines and picture captions – the things most likely to get red.  Don’t hide the good news at the end of an article!
  • While the newsletter is primarily a reporting vehicle, you should still ask for money.  Good newsletters raise lots of money! Balance the reporting and fundraising to give the donor great information about the impact of their giving and the chance to continue participating with your mission.  On a 4-page newsletter I do 3 pages of Reporting and use 1 page to present a need that donor can meet with a gift today.

Keep this list in front of you as you build your next newsletter. It will help you “keep the main thing the main thing” – and build a newsletter that Reports and raises money!

Video: Use Your Newsletter to Raise More Money

Jim Shapiro  |  Ask, Report
Ask ?

Your donors are waiting to hear from you. They want to know what their gift accomplished, so it is your responsibility to tell them.

In this video you will learn how to report back to your donors the amazing things they accomplished because they gave your organization a gift.  You will also learn specific design and copy elements that will make your newsletter great and ultimately raise more money.

By the end of the video you will know how to tell compelling human-sized stories by leveraging the power of pictures, headlines and picture captions.

Watch the video now. In just 5 minutes you will know how to improve your next newsletter.